Angel watches Austin walk off with Brice. Brice practically melted at his feet - what the fuck was that? The greatest man he knows? Who the fuck is Austin and what the fuck did he do? She turns to look at Phoebe but she is avoiding all eye contact with Angel. She knows Phoebe won't tell her anything, she's not stupid she knows her brother will gut her if she tells Angel. So Angel will have to dig - she will annoy Austin till he caves like a baby and spills. She also does not like that Austin is leaving her alone right now with these random people and the big burly security guard who is only half the size of Austin and not nearly as good-looking. It's fucked up.
"So, Angel, what's up?" her father asks. "Nothing, can't a girl just visit her parents?" Angel asks. "She can. But, this girl only visits when shit has gone down," her mother says. "Not true. I visited once when I thought I was pregnant," Angel counters. Both her parents stare blankly at her. Her parents are not stupid. Whenever she is in shit she goes home, they know it, she knows it and now Phoebe knows it. "Phoebs, stop stroking my mom's hair," Angel says. "Sorry," Phoebe mumbles.
"Angel..." his father is not going to let this go. The nosy bastard.
"I had a stalker."
"Had?"
"Austin disposed of him."
"Excuse me?" her father leans forward, worry streaking across his face. "I had a stalker once. I just gave him a shit load of drugs. Never saw him again. Would you like some gummy bears, Phoebs?" her mother asks digging in her knitting bag. Why the fuck does she have a knitting bag? "Thank you your majesty, but I shall have to pass on the gummy bears," Phoebe says in a snooty British accent. "Mom, stop offering my friends gummy bears, we have spoken about this before - it's weird. They think it's drugs and what's up with the knitting bag?" Angel asks tapping the bag with her foot. "It's to throw off the cops and my gummy bears are for medicinal purposes...I have a bad back," she defends herself.
"Bullshit," Angel and her dad say at the same time. Her mother rolls her eyes and sits back in her chair. "Angel. This stalker-" his dad starts again but Angel cuts him off.
"He is dead. Austin sorted it out. It's not a problem anymore."
"Well, if it's not a problem then why does your bodyguard look like he is about ready to give us all an internal exam?"
"Don't know if you noticed, Dad, but Austin is a tiny bit high-strung."
"And always right," Phoebe suddenly throws in. Angel and her dad turn to look at Phoebe. That was not helpful. "What do you mean?" her dad asks. "Austin still thinks there is a threat. But, there is not. He is just high-strung," Angel says. Her dad shakes his head and holds up his finger to get her to stop talking as he keeps his eyes on Phoebe. Angel's dad is usually super relaxed, nothing phases him - the man started a riot at one of his concerts when he attacked a security guard for fun - he never takes anything seriously. Except Angel - Angel he takes very seriously.
"Explain, Phoebe," he says. "Well, Austin has remarkable intuition. The intuition that has saved many people's lives in the past...he will never admit that though...but...if Austin says something is going on behind the scenes then we should listen," Phoebe explains. Angel's father stands throwing his chair back and then turns, stalking down to the guard house. Damit. "No drugs!" Angel says grabbing her mom's knitting bag and then running after her dad. "Dad! Dad!" she shouts but he just ignores her. Her mom's knitting bag weighs a fucking ton and is killing her arms by the time she gets down to the guard house. "What the fuck is in here?" she asks him.
"Seven bricks."
"Oh...oh sure that's normal...why dad? Why the fuck are there seven bricks in here?"
"I wanted to see how many bricks I could get in there before your mom noticed."
"What the fuck is wrong with the two of you?" Angel asks throwing the bag into a nearby fish pond. "Are there fish in there?" she asks, feeling a bit bad. "Only when I am drunk, child. Why the fuck are they not opening this door?" her dad asks, groaning and banging on the door. Angel pushes him aside and bangs then shouts out too. The door is suddenly ripped open and Brice is standing in the doorway looking worried. "What's wrong?" he asks. Angel looks past him and sees Austin leaning on a table with his arms crossed, there must be a million monitors in front of him. He does not look worried. She pushes past Brice and glares at Austin. "We were banging on this door! Screaming and shouting and you just sit here like there is no problem?! What if there was a problem?" she moans at him.
"Is there a problem?" Austin asks calmly. "No! But, there could have been one! You wouldn't know?" she challenges him. Austin stays leaning on the table and points to the monitors with an annoyed face. "We have been watching you..." he says. Angel looks at the monitors and sees cameras pointing to where they had been sitting on the patio and cameras giving a full view of the yard they had just walked across. "Oh...well...there you have it then," Angel says in a huff.
"Angel says she had a stalker and you took care of him. She also says that there is no longer a threat. Is that true?"
"Yes it's true," Angel says. Austin's eyes flick to her and he raises a brow at her, his arms folded again then he pushes off the table and walks past her father. "Come," he says as he steps out of the door. Her father and Brice follow him, and so does Angel. "Not you, Miss Knite. Go to your mother," he says without turning around. What the fuck? Angel stops and stares daggers into his back then stamps her foot in protest. "I am coming," she protests. Austin stops and walks back to her. She is standing on the guard house steps and for the first time she is taller than him so he has to look up at her. "Be a good girl, do as I say. I will treat you later tonight," he says softly, cocking his head. Angel bites her bottom lips to stop herself from giggling like a fucking moron but she nods her head.
"Promise?"
"Promise, now go on."
Angel smiles sweetly and bats her eyes at him. She is excited about tonight and she does not want anything to ruin it so she walks down the steps and heads over to her mom who is trying to fish her knitting bag out of the fish pond. "Where the fuck were you when she was a teenager, man?" she hears her father say as they walk off.
"Mom, what are you doing?" Angel asks when she gets to her mom. "Angel, I liked that bag," her mom says poking at the knitting bag sitting on the bottom of the pond with a stick. Angel rolls her eyes taking the stick and throwing it across the pond. "I am halfway through a scarf. I am old now, all I am good for is knitting like a fucking old lady," her mom moans. "You are in tight black leather, woman!" Angel points out.
"And you are Joan Jett. You are cool as fuck! You are in the Hall of Fame and everything!" Phoebe adds. "Yes, I suppose you are right," her mom says, looking a bit defeated. "And you are married to Axel Rose - you are cool Mom," Angel says taking her mom's hand and leading her back to the patio. "He is in the Hall of Fame too," her mom says. "I know! You guys built rock and roll. I can't believe you two are married. The world does not even know you guys know each other let alone that you are married and have a daughter who happens to be this generation's best female singer...well actually the best female singer of all time!" Phoebe gushes. "If Angel was not my daughter I would be very offended right now," her mom says then hugs Phoebe when her face drops - the idea of upsetting Joan Jett making her sad.
"Do you want to see the wine your dad and I have been making? Our brand is called...drum roll please, James," her mother says to their butler. James starts a drumroll on the table. "Angel's kiss!!" her mother announces when James gives the table a final slap. "Your brand name is as original as you having a butler named James," Angel says following her mother back into the house. "Angel, it's a play on your name!" Phoebe says excitedly. "You don't say," Angel says with a laugh, Phoebe cracks her up. They walk to the front of the house where a golf cart is waiting. "I am driving this thing!" Angel says climbing in and starting it. Her mother and Phoebe share a worried look, they don't trust her. "You guys can walk then," she challenges them so they both sigh and climb on.
Angel puts her foot down and speeds off with Phoebe and her mom hanging on for dear life. "I don't think this thing should go this fast, Angel," her mom says.
"Nonsense. I am not even going that fast," Angel says looking at her mom who can't see much as her hair whips in her face. "If Austin sees this, you are dead," Phoebe says then screams when Angel hits a speed bump and nearly topples the golf cart. "Whoops, didn't see that - my bad, and Austin will have to catch me first...is that a donkey?"
"Angel!" both her mom and Phoebe shout. "Sorry! Geese, excuse me for taking the time to take in the view!" Angel scoffs. "Just keep your eyes on the road," her mother groans. They drive through the vineyards and one or two large puddles that leave the three of them splattered in mud but, soon enough they pull up to a large warehouse her mother had directed them to. "No more driving for you," Phoebe says wobbling out of the golf cart and grabbing the keys from Angel. "I was not even going that fast," Angel complains as Phoebe and her mother walk away from her. Phoebe's bright yellow dress has mud splashed up her back - Angel cringes, oops.
Inside the shed is tons of wine in barrels, just rows and rows. There are also hundreds of wines already in bottles and they don't look half bad. "Now, you two sit down and I will give you both a tasting. We have a selection of different wines all with special flavorings. It's all very classy," her mother says opening boxes and pulling out different bottles of wine. Eventually, there are twenty bottles lined up in front of them and they are given a glass each. "Now," her mom says opening the first bottle and pouring a little in each glass then motions for them to pick up their glass. "You are supposed to sniff it first, tell me what you smell - Phoebe?" her mom says. Phoebe picks her glass up, swirls is then sniffs it. "Oooh, I smell berries," she says. "Great! Now you Angel," her mom says. Angel does the same. "I smell the wine," Angel says, it's true.
"It's because you are uncultured. Now take a sip ladies and tell me what you taste."
Phoebe takes a sip first and sloshes it around her mouth then smacks her lips together and looks at her mom in shock.
"I am getting strawberry, chocolate, and a hint of orange."
"Fantastic! You, Angel?"
Angel takes a sip and then downs the rest. "I am just getting wine," Angel says reaching for the bottle to pour another glass but her mom snatches it away. "This is just a tasting. Next one," she says. This is going to be a long afternoon, Angel does not even like wine.